Revenge is a dish best served cold
by mabelreid
Summary: Danny and Lindsay have begun their family, and all is well until someone from Danny's past comes after them. Now the whole team must work together to save this small family before its too late. DL Post Snow Day
1. In the air tonight

_A/n the rating is for the usual in later chapters. Please let me know what you think by pushing the review button at the bottom of your screen._

_Disclaimer: I only play in this universe; no payment is received for this work._

**In the air tonight.**

_I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord  
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, oh lord  
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord_

_Phil Collins  
_

She yawned, stretched and turned over when the baby monitor came to life. The lit face of the clock said that it was three am. The bed shifted as her husband of one year turned over and touched her back.

"Go back to sleep. I'll get him." She told him without turning around. She swung her feet off the bed and into a pair of pink fuzzy bunny slippers. She pulled on his robe as it was closest and stood up, swaying a little.

"Montana, you've been up twice tonight let me get him." He said sleepily.

"No… that's his hungry cry and there's nothing you can do about that." She turned to face him in the darkness. He squinted at her in the moonlight that seeped in around the curtains, painting the walls silver and grey and white.

"Go back to sleep Detective Messer, that's an order. I'll be back soon." She leaned over and kissed him softly. He tried to pull her to him.

"Hold that thought Danny, your child needs to eat." He groaned in frustration, and then he said. "Go on then and give him a kiss for me."

She trudged out of the room and closed the door behind her. She crossed to the nursery and opened the door. Little Louie Antony Messer was crying lustily between making sucking motions with his small mouth.

Lindsay picked him up and shushed him gently. She took him over to her rocking chair and sat down. She took a moment just to look at him. His face was his father's, and her heart ached with happiness every time she looked at him.

She opened the buttons on her pajama top and encouraged him to latch on, not that he needed much encouragement. It always amazed her how he'd known what to do from the beginning. She leaned back in the chair and listened to the small sounds of the house. It settled around her, with small creaks and pops.

Louie made little noises as well and she gloried in hearing them. Danny believed in his misguided way that it was a chore for her to get up and feed the baby. It wasn't, she loved the time with her child. She was bonded to him in away she didn't fully understand, but she went with it just the same.

She looked down few minutes later to see that Louie was sleeping. His little mouth continued to make sucking motions even though he was satisfied. She buttoned her pajama top and sat rocking with him for a long time. It was too peaceful to move. The darkness was broken only by the occasional lights from the cars passing on the street.

When her own head began to nod a bit, she got carefully to her feet and padded over to the crib. Louie didn't move, he was down for the count. It made her giggle to see him sleep like Danny, soundly and deeply. She was the one that was an insomniac, and it was worse now that the baby was here. She knew it was crazy, but she couldn't really let herself sleep, what if he cried and she didn't hear him. Danny tried to reason with her, but she couldn't get over the fear. It was better in the daytime somehow. She didn't know why.

She tucked a blanket around him and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "That's from Mommy and," she kissed him again, "that's from Daddy. Sleep well little prince."

She closed the door behind her and walked silently across the hall to her room. She opened the door as quietly as she could and entered the room. Her husband was snoring and she nearly laughed out loud. He refused to believe he snored, even when she tape recorded him one night and let him listen to it the next day.

She was about to get in bed when her cell phone beeped. She stared at it, wondering who it was a three am. It couldn't be work, they were both on leave. Danny was going back to work, but not until nine the next day. Anyway, if it were the lab, they would call his cell not hers. She hesitated when it beeped again. The sound was loud and like an accusation in the stillness of the room. Her hands suddenly went cold, she'd just remembered _him. _Maybe it was _him_ again, she stared at the phone and it beeped again, she had to answer it or Danny would wake and if he did…

"Hello," she whispered, after opening the phone with shaking hands.

There was only silence on the other end. Just like the calls she'd been getting lately on the hard line to the house he'd only spoken once before, was he going to talk now and would she recognize the voice this time?

"Hello," her heart was beginning to pound in her throat, choking her. Her palms were sweating now, and the phone almost slipped out of her hands.

"H-hello, this is Detective M-monroe of the New York City P-police Department, identify yourself n-now." She tried to inject as much bravado as she could, but her voice was shaking too hard.

"_Lindsay!"_

The voice was only a whisper; it sent icy chills down her back.

"_Soon."_

She tried to tell him to go away, to leave her alone, but her vocal cords refused to work. She swallowed hard and the click in her voice was like a gunshot to her ears.

"T-tell me who you are," She should hang up; she shouldn't encourage him, or let him know she was afraid. The phone was slipping through her sweat soaked hands.

"_Soon!" _

Then the voice was gone and all she heard was the silence of the closed line.

She put the phone down on the dresser next to the baby monitor and stood staring at it for a long time.

_Turn it off._

_I can't, what if there's an emergency?_

_What emergency, you're on leave remember?_

Her hand found the phone and pushed the button to turn it off. She went over to the bed and climbed in, scooting up as close as she could to Danny. She wrapped her arms tightly around his sleeping form. Suddenly she was so cold!


	2. I just want you

_A/n thanks to everyone who has reviewed. I appreciate all of your suggestions and comments. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with CSI NY. No copyright infringement is intended._

**I just want you**

_There Are No Impossible Dreams  
There Are No Invisible Seams  
Each Night When Day Is Through  
I Don't Ask Much, __I Just Want You  
__Ozzy Osbourne_

The morning sun seeped into his brain waking him up and making him squint against its glare. He'd successfully ignored the alarm for ten minutes, but now the snooze alarm was going off with an annoying beep. He turned over and slapped it off. It was eight am and not his day off. He groaned and ran a hand through his short dark blond hair. His other hand found slightly warm sheets instead of his wife. He swore under his breath, his hopes for a little mornin' lovin' dashed.

It was quiet in and outside the house, a rarity for the busy and crowded neighborhood in Queens. He heard the small sounds coming from the other room, and his disappointment melted away like snow in the spring sunshine. He slipped out of bed, pulled the tee shirt he wore over his head and tossed it into the hamper. He padded bare-chested into the room across the hall, and stood for a moment taking in the sight in front of him. He knew he would never get used to seeing this every morning.

On his right there was a crib, made up with yellow sheets and blankets covered with teddy bears and puppies dressed in little vests and bow ties of different bright colors. The bedding was a gift from Stella. There was a mobile hanging over the crib, it was still now, but when it turned, the airplanes spun around as if they could really fly. He'd never been as surprised as he was, when Mac had presented it to him, he'd wanted to laugh, but the look on his boss's face had shut his mouth against the chuckles in his belly.

To the left was a changing table and dresser, a matched set given to them by his mom and dad. Now that had been a surprise. The changing table was littered with baby wipes, a couple of diapers with ducks on the adhesive tabs, and baby powder standing proudly in one corner. Flack's gift of a toy badge and a cop's hat were packed away in the closet, not yet ready for their young friend to play with.

He looked at one corner of the room where his wife sat in a rocking chair given to her by her mother when they had learned she was expecting. How his mother in law had managed to ship it to them in one piece, he would never know. It was old, made of pine, and still smelled like the woods of Montana.

The woman in front of him looked up from the infant in her arms and smiled at him, that wonderful smile that made him shiver and go hot all over at the same time. His son nuzzled hungrily at her breast and she rocked slowly as she hummed to little Louie under her breath.

"Hey cowboy, are you going to stand there and stare, or are you going to say good morning to your son and his mother."

He didn't need to be told twice. He padded across the small room and bent down to kiss his wife, a long slow kiss that heated his blood from the coolness of deep sleep. He pulled away slowly, releasing her bottom lip after a gentle tug.

"Wow… that was amazing baby, how is it that you have so much energy on your first day back from leave."

Her chocolate eyes burned with the fire he felt in his belly. "I had to take somethin' away with me to keep me warm while I chase the bad guys."

She giggled and he decided that a very cold shower was called for as it was getting late and he had to be in by nine. He bent a second time to kiss Louie's little forehead.

"Good mornin' Louie, your in charge now, so take care of your mama."

"Danny Messer, the way you talk to our son." She shifted the baby away and Danny groaned inwardly at the sight of his wife's exposed breast. She buttoned the top of her pajamas, while he sighed in frustration.

_Get yourself under control Messer, you can't go to the lab sporting a hard on._

He said, "Why shouldn't I talk to him like that, I ain't into baby talk, it makes me feel stupid." He backed away as Lindsay got up from the rocker. She moved to the crib and placed the now sleeping two month old baby onto the little sheets and covered him with a blanket.

"Come on, lets find some breakfast," she said quietly turned for the door of the nursery and shut it.

"I need a shower Montana, and then I'll join ya for a cup of coffee."

"You're having more then coffee Messer, whether you like it or not." She informed him.

He entered the bathroom and turned on the shower. He stripped down and slipped a hand into the water, then hissed and pulled it back, still too cold. He looked at his face in the mirror and wondered how he'd gotten so lucky to have a beautiful, smart and tough wife.

He tested the water again and found it to be the perfect temperature. In spite of his earlier _excitement_ he didn't need cold water. He climbed into the shower and thanked God as he always did for his little boy. He had his mother's curly brown hair, and blue eyes. It would be a few months before they knew the true color of his eyes. He hoped they would turn chocolate brown, like Montana's. He finished his morning rituals and left the bathroom.

By the time he finished the shower and dressed for the day in a dark blue shirt and jeans, Lindsay had finished making waffles, his favorite breakfast treat. He knew she was trying to make up for the first separation they'd had since the birth of their baby and he loved her for it, but that didn't stop him from razzing her just a little.

"Is there somethin' ya want ta tell me Montana? Have you been a naughty girl?"

As he hoped annoyance flared in her eyes for just a moment then the sparkle came back. "As a matter of fact, I can't wait for you to leave, so I can let my boyfriend in through the back door." She said without missing a beat.

He reached out and pulled her to him, repeating the kiss he'd given her in the nursery and then letting go of her so abruptly her weak knees nearly sent her to the floor.

"Are you sure ya want to let him in now," he growled, regretting the cold shower her didn't take. He moved back and pulled her into his arms. He kissed her again, harder then he had in weeks. His hands fisted in her hair, and she moaned when he ground his arousal into her abdomen. He moved his mouth from his swollen lips to her neck and then to the pulse point on her neck.

"Danny," her breathless whisper sent him over the edge of control. He picked her up into his arms and carried her back to their bed room.

He laid her on the bed and stood there for a long moment drinking in the site of her. "Danny, you'll be late."

He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the ground. He laughed softly when her eyes latched onto his chest. "See somethin' ya like Montana," He unzipped his jeans and pushed them and his briefs to the floor. His heart was pounding so hard he got dizzy. He couldn't believe that she could make him feel like horny teenager. He realized that she'd sat up and was removing her pajama top, his erection jumped painfully at the sight of the breast his son had so recently suckled.

"See somethin' ya like Messer," She imitated his accent perfectly while one finger lazily circled a nipple. He laughed when she squealed after he jumped on the bed next to her. His body was screaming for release, it had been so long.

He pressed her back on the pillows and began with his mouth on hers, again. He took a very long time, savoring to taste of her skin on his tongue, and the jittery feeling in his stomach he got whenever they were like this. His hands stroked her breasts, his thumbs scraping over the hard, erect nipples. His mouth moved to her neck, while his hands made lazy circles over her abdomen. The silken feel of her skin was nearly more then he could take. His mouth found her neck again, licking the soft spot just over her collar bone, the one she liked him to suck on. He took her left ear in his mouth and bit down gently on the lobe.

"Danny," she whispered in his ear.

"Say it Lindsay!" He stopped his attentions to her ear long enough to look at her flushed face. "Please Danny," she breathed, her eyes bright. "Say it," he repeated watching the sun turn her hair to spun honey gold in its glow.

Her eyes closed and she arched up against him, "Please Danny, I need you inside me," she moaned.

His heart was pounding so hard he could hardly breathe, lust and love battled in his heart for his attention while his hands slid slowly down her sides to the top of her pajama bottoms. One hand moved down to stroke her through the material of the pants. He felt the trembling of her thigh muscles on one arm and knew she was close.

"Lift," he said. She lifted her hips once more, and he slid the pajamas off. His hand went to her center, and his heart flew to the moon at the feel of her soaking wet curls against his fingers. He inserted one then two fingers and slowly thrust into her, feeling the hot, wet, tightness of her. Fuck! He wanted that warm wetness around him, squeezing him till he popped.

"Danny!" Her hands fisted tightly in his hair, but the pain was sweet.

He removed his hand and pushed her knees further apart. One hand went to her lips. "I want you to taste yourself on me," her tongue flickered out and licked the fingers that had occupied her.

The sight of the small tongue did him in completely. He couldn't wait anymore; he had to claim what was his, again. He took her hands in his and pushed them over her head. She cried out when he drove into her. God, this was what he'd missed, the primal intimacy of his mate. She was his, forever and till the end of time.

"Look at me Lindsay, I want ta see ya break apart baby," He panted, thrusting down, meeting the lift of her hips in an easy rhythm they established long ago and fell into easily.

"Oh God, my sweet angel," she gasped raggedly.

Her eyes black with passion opened and pinned him. He fell, and captured her mouth, blocking her scream when she flew apart. The tightening of her inner muscles around him sent him leaping off the edge with a loud groan. He dropped on top of her.

"Jesus Lindsay. I love you so much baby." He kissed her once more pushing the sweat soaked hair out of her eyes. He rolled over and pulled her on top of him. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No," she managed to say after her breathing slowed.

"I'm sorry it was so quick this time, but I -"

She stopped him with a long kiss, "Baby, do you hear me complaining."

He shook his head and she said, "Good, then stop worrying and get going." She slapped his leg.

"Ouch, how come you're pushing me outta bed, I thought you love to cuddle?" He asked with a cute little pout.

"I do, but if you're late your first day back, Mac won't be happy." She moved off of him and pulled on her robe.

Damn it! She was right, the last thing he wanted on his first day back at work, was a patented Mac Taylor tongue lashing.

"You know how to spoil the mood Montana." He slipped off the bed and headed for the shower, again. "Hurry up, you gotta eat before you go, baby. She yelled at his retreating back.

She stepped into her slippers and padded out of the room. She blew a kiss to Louie and shut the door to the nursery. She smiled inwardly and ran down the hall to the kitchen; it was time to try a salvage breakfast.

She had fresh waffles on the table with a cup of coffee and some orange juice. She was eating her own stack when he came into the kitchen. He sat across from her so as not to be tempted to repeat his wake up call, and began to slather butter over his waffles.

"Hey Messer, you want some waffles to go with your butter?" She waggled an eyebrow and giggled when he frowned at her. "Hey… it's your fault I eat like this; I swear to God… I've gained ten pounds in the last two months."

"Aw… poor baby, you're so concerned about your figure. You're not going all female on me are ya?" She shot back after popping a syrup soaked piece of waffle in her mouth.

"That was low Montana, especially after the little somethin' somethin' we just had." He growled back at her as he reached for the syrup bottle.

He saw that all Lindsay could do was laugh while he ate his breakfast. He decided that going back to work was a good thing, at least they didn't laugh at him there, at least not often.

"Don't pout baby, I love the way you look, or didn't that little interlude convince you." She tossed a napkin at him.

"You better," he groused picking up the napkin he missed catching, and wiped the syrup of his face.

"Hey… I'm the one that just gave birth, if anyone should complain about their weight, it's me." She poured more orange juice in her glass and drank it down noisily.

"Hey Montana, do ya hafta do that every morning." He glared at her and she laughed, and then choked on her juice.

"I do it because it drives you crazy, Messer."

"Well that's great, now I don't feel so bad ta be leavin' today." His phone chose that time to ring. He frowned at the caller ID; he was running late, but not that late.

"Messer," he said swallowing the last of his coffee.

"Danny, Mac here, I'm sure you're on your way, but I need you over at Central Park now. We've got a DOB and Stella is waiting for you."

"Okay Mac, I'm on my way."

He closed the phone and stood, "Gotta go baby… there's a DOA in the park."

She rose to meet him and he kissed her softly. "I love you Messer, make sure you come home in one piece." She ordered when he let her breathe again.

"I love you to Montana. I'll be fine." He watched a sudden tear track down her face.

"Okay Lindsay what's the matter, you've been putting on a good front but I know when something is botherin' you. Please tell me what it is."

"I got another call last night when you were asleep," She flinched when his eyes narrowed and his face went crimson with rage.

"What did he say to you this time?" He demanded in that deadly calm voice that always signaled trouble.

"It was nothing," she tried to back away, but he held her tight to his chest.

"Lindsay, you have to tell me what he said."

"He…h-he said my name, just a whisper I could barely hear and he said "soon" It was so creepy and I was so scared."

"I'm gonna talk to Mac, get him to okay a trace on your phone and the land line in the house. It's what I should'a done when this first started." He lifted her chin and made her look at him. "I'll do whatever I hafta to do to make sure you and Louie are safe, so no arguments."

"He never said anything till two days ago, how would tracing the call help, he doesn't stay on the line long enough."

"We have to know, you know as well as I do that these things sometimes escalate to more."

"I know... I've just been so happy the last two months, I don't want to go back to reality, and I hate this guy for reminding us of our jobs. I wish I knew who he was or how he knows me."

She blinked rapidly trying to keep the tears from falling, but it was no use. He made her feel so safe, how was she to get along without him here everyday.

"I'm going to find out whose doin' this and when I do he'll wish he never messed with you."

"This is why I didn't want to tell you, I don't want you to get hurt Danny." The tears were falling faster now and she couldn't stop them.

"I'm not going to get hurt and neither is my kick ass wife. Don't cry baby, I promise this will be over soon. I gotta go, Stella's waiting for me."

"I'll miss you." She said wiping furiously at her face.

He wrapped her up in his arms his own belly turning acid at the thought of walking out of there. "We're all gonna be okay, I'll see you tonight." He kissed her again and fled. She dropped down into the chair he'd so recently occupied and wept.


	3. Precious

_A/n thanks to all who have reviewed. A special thanks to notesofwimsey and Aelia O'Hession for helping me to stay on track with characterization, even when I wanted to argue. Thanks guys. _

_Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended as I don't own the show or the characters, only my own original characters._

_**Precious**_

_Precious and fragile things  
Need special handling  
My God what have we done to You?_

_**Depeche Mode**_

He slammed the door of the SUV and trudged down the pathway to Strawberry Fields. He passed the John Lennon Memorial "Imagine" and found Stella bent over the body of their latest victim. Flack approached from the left and pounded him on the back.

"I see you decided to grace us with your presence Messer. What happened, the old ball and chain kick you out of the house?"

"Leave him alone Don," Stella said without looking up at either of them. "Welcome back Danny, sorry it has to be with a DOB." She closed an evidence bag put it away and stood up with a stretch. "I hope you haven't had breakfast Detective, this guy is in pretty bad shape."

Danny approached the body and immediately regretted the wonderful stack of waffles he'd eaten so gleefully just thirty minutes ago. "Jesus Christ Stella… what the hell happened to this guy?"

"He was found here by a jogger about an hour ago. His name is Jimmy Dobson, from Staten Island. His wallet was in his front right pocket with his credit card and cash intact. It looks like this wasn't about robbery or money." Flack informed him as Danny squatted down and shined his flash light over the blood splattered face.

Danny swallowed hard against his breakfast that was threatening to leave his stomach in a rush. The man had been beaten, stabbed multiple times and his right hand had been cut off.

"What's with the grey flecks on his hand and under the finger nails?"

"I'm not sure yet, I'm sending a sample to trace. You want to process the scene and I'll finish with the body. Danny… hey Danny what's wrong." She prodded his shoulder

"What… oh sorry Stella it's nothing, I just need to talk to Mac about somethin' that's all." He smiled weakly at her and stood up to go over the crime scene.

He found a footprint in the dirt next to the body that didn't look like it came from the work boots Dobson was wearing. He measured and photographed it as Stella worked around him. He was just finishing up with a sample of the dirt, when the squad took Dobson away to the morgue.

He got back to his feet and stretched out a crick in his back. He really was out of practice. "Hey Messer, you're movin' like an old lady. Did ya get spoiled lounging around with Lindsay and the kid?"

"Donald Flack… stop referring to our godson as "the kid" his name is Louie."

"Geez Stella, just trying to lighten' things up around here," Flack rolled his eyes at Stella's retreating back and Danny jabbed him in the ribs as they left the scene.

"Damn it Messer what was that for," He complained.

"When are you going to ask her out already?"

"Keep your voice down Messer; I don't think they heard you in Jersey!"

"I'll leave you alone when you decide to stop flirting and get down ta business. I've been gone for two months," he held up to fingers, "and you haven't made a move."

"Says the man that chased his woman for two years," Flack retorted.

"Don't change the subject Flack, you've been drooling after her like a puppy dog for years, do something about it."

"What if she says no?"

"Then at least you'll know for sure and you can get on with your life. Geez Flack, what happened to the smooth heartbreaker we all know and hate?" Flack whacked him upside the head.

"Hey, what was that for?"

"You got a smart mouth Messer, I missed that."

"Are you going all mushy on me because I don't think I can take it?"

"Very funny," Don snuck another glance at Stella who'd reached her car.

"Come on my man take a chance, you never know where it might go."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Danny chuckled at the sight of Don swallowing hard as he watched Stella climb into her vehicle.

She looked out the window waved at the guys and then the engine fired and she was gone into the mid morning sunshine.

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Lindsay finally got her self under control and began to clean up from breakfast. The dishes went into the dish washer and the counter tops got scrubbed down. When the kitchen was spotless she decided that a walk with Louie was in order, perhaps it would help her mood. She headed down the hallway to the bedroom wondering how long it would take Danny to find the guy that was harassing her.

She noticed that Danny had made the bed, a bit haphazardly, but that was normal for him. She smiled wanly at the thought of their little morning interlude and approached the closet for her workout clothes. She headed into the bathroom for a hair clip and once there she took a good look at herself in the mirror. Not bad, just a few more pounds and she'd be back to her pre-pregnancy weight. Her hair went onto the top of her head in a messy ponytail.

She went back into the bedroom, humming a Bruce Springsteen tune under her breath. "Hello Detective Monroe," a voice said.

She looked up startled, and saw the large caliber gun pointed at her. She froze in place and her heart leapt into her throat. She managed to tear her eyes away from the gun and up to the face of the smiling man in front of her.

"W-who are y-you? W-what are you d-doing here? W-what do you w-want with me?"

Her hands began to shake; fear was like ice water in her veins. She shivered uncontrollably, she knew she should do something, anything, but the gun froze her feet to the ground.

"You're going to help me make Daniel Messer suffer."

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"Yo Mac… can I talk to you for a minute?"

Mac looked up from the endless paperwork on his desk, glad of a distraction and very happy to see one half of his best CSI team standing in the door way of his office.

"Hey Danny… come on in. I'm glad to have you back. How's your shift going so far?"

"I gotta be honest, I could'a done with out the DOB this early in the morning."

Mac shifted in his chair and took a better look at the young man standing in front of him. There was most definitely something wrong with his friend.

"Sorry… If I could control the murder rate, we'd all be out of a job."

"Yeah," Danny sat down on the couch.

"What's wrong," Mac asked.

"Hmm… oh it's nothing really." He was shifting around on the couch like a small boy impatient to get out of school and not do his homework.

"Right, that's why you came in and said you need to talk and then you sit down and fidget on my couch."

"Oh well… about a week ago Lindsay started ta get these calls, you know hang ups, and heavy breathin', stuff like that. Anyway… the guy didn't even say anything to her till two days ago and then it was just her name." He spoke so fast that Mac was hard pressed to follow what he said.

"Then last night he called again and she's really upset and I should have checked into this before now, but I didn't think it was anythin' to be worried about."

"Danny, slow down and tell me again. Obviously these aren't just crank calls. Is he calling your home phone, Lindsay cell phone or both?"

"It's both," Danny said. He repeated what he just told Mac only this time it was at a speed the older man could understand.

Mac pushed aside a couple of files on his desk and pulled a pad of paper close. "Danny, this has to be checked out. I'll have a trace put both of the phones, and yours as well. We can pull the phone records and check what numbers are coming in. You have caller ID on your hard line at home right?"

"Yeah, but it comes up as blocked from this number." Danny informed him.

"I thought so, okay… I'll get on it. In the meantime, what's going on with your case?"

He watched Danny become more relaxed as he related the details of his case. The haggard look in his eyes retreated a bit.

"It sounds like this guy was into something he shouldn't have been judging from your description of the body and it condition. Someone was pretty angry to do all that."

"I know, it looks like a mob hit."

"I hope not, just the thought of dealing with someone like the Tangle Wood Boys gives me a headache."

"You're tellin' me." He got up and went for the door. He turned back suddenly and said to Mac, "Hey thanks for listenin', I just don't want Lindsay upset."

"Hey we're a family. Little Louie is like a grandson to me you know that. I don't want him or Lindsay upset, they should be enjoying this time." Mac gave him a rare smile and got one in return.

"We'll find him Danny I promise, and then you can get back to you life."

"Thanks Mac, I better get back to work." He slipped out the door and Mac felt the smile drop off his face as the young man followed the hallway to the lab. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Hey… It's Mac Taylor… I'm fine… Yeah she's good too… Okay I'll tell her you said that…Listen, I need a favor…

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Gail Houdersheldt made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen where her husband of forty years sat drinking his third cup of coffee. As usual his head was buried in the sports section and he was lamenting the Mets chances at the World Series that year. Scott had just retired two months ago and getting used to having him around all the time was wearing on her nerves a bit.

Gail shook her head in his direction and began to clear the table of its debris from breakfast. Her knee was aching and swollen that morning, maybe that meant it was going to rain. She clicked on the radio and switched it over to the news channel.

The weatherman was promising sunshine. What did he know about it anyway, her knee was always right?

She picked up a plate with a knife and fork balancing on it. She had a glass in the other hand. Scott tried to talk her into get a dishwasher for the house several years ago but she'd said no. Those machines couldn't be trusted to do the job right. Anyway, she liked the chore of cleaning dishes; it was a feeling of accomplishment, like dusting the furniture or sweeping the floor.

The sun was streaming into the south east facing window and she put down the dishes on the counter. It was nice to feel the warmth on her skin after a cold winter, but it wouldn't last long. It would be raining by afternoon, her knee was insisting on it. She reached out to close the curtains and gasped in surprise at the sight in front of her eyes.

A nice young couple lived next door to them. They were police officers and she was delighted to have them there to keep out the bad element. The young woman Lindsay had helped her carry groceries into the house just the other day, and that baby of theirs' was such a doll. Her heart had melted the first time she'd see him, she missed her own grand babies so much. Lindsay's husband was such a nice young man and so attractive, he made her feel thirty years younger, which amused Scott.

Now Lindsay was in trouble. A large man carried her slung over his shoulder like a fireman. Gail couldn't mover or speak, it looked like the man was kidnapping her, but that was ridiculous wasn't it? That didn't happen accept in books or on true crime shows. Lindsay wasn't moving she looked dead. The man put her in the car and then got into it and Gail heard the faint sound of the engine start. Where was Louie, Lindsay would never leave him alone, not while she was alive.

"Scott… call 9ll…now!" She screamed when Lindsay's car spun out of the driveway.


	4. Bless the beasts and the children

_A/n thanks to all who've reviewed, you help to keep me on track with your suggestions and your observations._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing from the show; I just play in the universe a bit._

_Bless the Beasts and the Children._

_Bless the beasts and the children. For in this world they have no voice, they have no choice. _

**The Carpenters**

"What were you and Flack talking about?" Stella asked Danny as the elevator descended to the level of the morgue.

"You know… just the usual guy stuff," Danny replied, not making eye contact with his friend.

"Right, that's why Don looked like he'd, swallowed a fly."

"I'm not getting involved; you'll have to ask him." Danny said as the door opened on the morgue. He escaped into the cool air of the large room. Stella stood tapping her foot for a moment and then exited the elevator just as the door were about to close. Danny Messer could be so closed mouthed at times. She would have to wait for a chance to trip him up.

"Your victim bled to death after being beaten within an inch of his life." Sid was explaining as she walked up behind Danny. "See this knife wound to the thigh it transected the artery and he died very quickly."

"What about the fingers, anything under the nails," Danny asked.

"No, but the most interesting thing is that his right hand was removed with a brick saw. It has a saw tooth blade that moves at a high rate of speed. There were no hesitation marks and it was done postmortem."

"Anything else," Stella asked.

"No, that's all. I'll get a full report up to you in a couple of hours." Sid replied detaching his glasses and letting them fall to his chest.

"Okay." They left the morgue and reentered the elevator.

"Come on Danny… tell me what you two were talking about, I saw you looking at me and then laughing at Don. What is going on, you might as well tell me as I'll find out one way or another."

"Nope, I plead the fifth on this one." Danny insisted.

They left the elevator and walked down the hallway with Stella continuing to question him about his conversation with Flack. He heaved a sigh when they entered the lay out room and stopped abruptly. Stella almost ran into him before pulling up short.

"Hey… what the hell…"

"Stella… I ain't gonna rat on my friend, it ya want to know what we were talking about I suggest that you ask him to meet you at Sullivan's, buy him a beer, and ask him yourself." He turned back to their evidence bags from the park and left her gaping at him.

She couldn't ask Flack to meet her, could she? Oh God she wanted to so badly. Just the thought of his eyes, his hands in her hair, and his lips on her mouth sent pleasant shivers down her back. She wanted to do what Danny said, hell she'd wanted it for months now. How could she do it, what if he laughed at her?

"Stella, you going to stand there staring at the clothes, they ain't gonna process themselves."

She looked up to see Danny smirking at her. "Mind your own business Messer," she snapped at him and then she picked up the dead mans jeans and went to work. She missed the large smile that crossed Danny's face. Oh yeah Flack was going to get the surprise of his life.

They worked steadily for two hours collecting trace and running tests for bodily fluids and prints. He was about to give up when he found a usable print on the man's shoe, although his hopes that it would belong to someone other then the perp was pretty low. He dusted the print and placed it, and pulled it back, neatly collecting the ridge pattern for the computer. He jumped when his cell beeped and he looked down hoping it was Lindsay. It wasn't, he answered it a bit impatiently,

"Messer!"

"_Danny, I need you in my office right now!"_

"What's goin' on Mac?"

"_Just get in here now," _Danny listened to silence as the connection was broken.

Mac sounded pissed, big time. He tried to think of anything he'd done to irritate his boss and was could pull nothing from his memory, besides he'd only been back a day. He left Stella who still looked like a deer in the highlights, and jogged off down the hallway.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Lindsay opened her eyes it was to bright lights and white ceilings. Her head was pounding and she groaned out loud when she tried to sit up. Dizziness over took her and she almost passed out again. She stayed still for a few moments before trying to move again. It felt like bricks had dropped on her head. She tried to move her hands up to explore the large bump she was sure was on the back of her head. Her arms moved up, but she couldn't separate them. She looked down and saw the handcuffs or more accurately a white double cuff. The restraint was thin plastic, with a tensile strength of three hundred and fifty pounds. They were supposed to be only for law enforcement. She wouldn't be getting loose from them anytime soon.

Her head was pounding so hard she had to lie back down. The dizziness was making her nauseous. She rolled carefully over onto her back and watched the white ceiling till the feeling passed. Then she remembered and she sat up fast crying out in pain, but not caring. Louie, where was Louie? She looked around, her eyes darting around the small room and he wasn't there. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest keeping time with the pounding pain in her head.

There was a door to her left and one to her right. She tried to get up, but was so dizzy she had to sit down. She cursed her self for her weakness, she had to find away out of there. Louis was all alone. The bastard had left him alone in his crib.

_If you were a better mother, this wouldn't have happened._

_No, that wasn't true; I didn't know he was there._

_You shouldn't have let him take you. You should've tried harder to get to your phone or your gun._

_He had_ _a gun, what was I supposed to do?_

_You were supposed to protect you baby. You left him there on purpose. You never wanted to be a mother in the first place._

_That's not true, I love Louie._

_No you don't, remember the other day when you were thinking that it would be nice just to be you and Danny again, no more midnight feedings and changing diapers. You could have him all to yourself without worrying about a little baby. _

_I didn't mean it. I was just tired and upset._

_You were thinking the same thing this morning during your sexual escapade with Danny._

_Stop it, just stop it. I love my baby; I don't want anything to happen to him._

Her eye popped open as the tears began to run down her face. She made herself get up and stumble over to the door. Her stomach heaved and she fell to her knees, and threw up her breakfast on the concrete floor. She tried to get back up, but was too dizzy.

"Please somebody help me, let me out of this place." She fell to her side and blackness closed over her eyes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mac what's so…" Danny trailed off at the sight of his next door neighbor sitting on the couch, holding a bundle in her arms.

"Mrs. Houdersheldt, what are you doing here?" His eyes tried to tell him that the blanket around the bundle was Louie's but his heart said no. If it were true then something was wrong.

Mrs. Houdersheldt got wearily and slowly to her feet. She approached Danny and he saw the wild brown curls of his son's hair.

"What's going on Mac, where is Lindsay?" The fear that coiled in his belly like a snake, it had no reason to be there, and yet it was there, ready to strike at his heart.

"Danny… I don't know how to tell you this other then straight out." Danny whirled away from his son and neighbor to witness the look of pure rage and grief on Mac face before his face closed again. "You're neighbor called 911 this about an hour ago. She witnessed someone carrying Lindsay out to her car."

"**What!" **

His head was spinning so fast he though he might faint. Mac jumped up and went over to him, pushing him over to the couch and making him sit down

"What happened," he said in a deathly quiet voice.

"I was clearing up from breakfast, and I looked out the kitchen window and this man was carrying Mrs. Messer over his shoulder like you see them do on TV when there is a fire. I tried to call out, but I guess I was in shock for a moment. Then I didn't see Louie and I knew that Mrs. Messer would never leave him alone. I shouted for Scott to call the cops, but it was too late, she was gone."

Danny suddenly leaped to his feet. "Mac we gotta get out there, maybe she's hurt or…" He couldn't say it, he couldn't even think it. His heart hurt so much he thought it was literally ripping in two. It was his fault, he should've insisted on checking out the phone calls. They were related, nothing else made sense.

Louie began to cry and Danny flinched. What was he going to do? Lindsay always knew how to soothe him. She had paid attention and learned what his cry's meant. He hadn't bothered to learn, he took his wife for granted and just left it to her to deal with Louie, and she had let him. She always said that she was happy to do it. He should've tried harder, because now he didn't know what to do.

Mrs. Houdersheldt was trying to quiet the baby, he could see that, but it wasn't working. "Danny… I think he want's his mommy or daddy, you better take him." She said approaching carefully. She passed the baby over to him.

"But I-"

Louie continued to cry and Danny looked helplessly at Mac, who was smiling in spite of himself.

"Mac I can't deal with this right now. I have to find Lindsay. He needs his mother."

Mac rose from his chair and rounded his desk. "No Danny he needs his father. You need to take care of your son now."

Mrs. Houdersheldt said. "Detective Messer, I can take him if you want. I'd love to take care of the little guy, he's so sweet."

Danny wondered how a squalling red faced baby could be called sweet. His first impulse was to turn the baby over to his neighbor, but Mac was right he had to do right by his son and his son's mother.

"No Mrs. Houdersheldt, I keep him with me, but I might drop him off for the night if that's okay."

"Of course my boy, I would be glad to take him." She beamed at the baby and then she turned to Mac.

"Is is alright for me to leave, I've answered all of your questions haven't I?"

"Yes ma'am, I think we're done here. Thank you for making sure that Louie was alright." Mrs. Houdersheldt left the office after kissing Louie on the forehead. He was actually quieting a bit and Danny was looking less like a frightened little girl, and more like one of Mac's most trusted CSIs.

"See Danny… he won't bite you." Mac said with a grin. "I'll just leave you here…" He was interrupted by Stella dashing into his office with a file folder in her hand.

She looked a little surprised to see the baby and taking in the looks on both men's faces she asked, "What the hell is wrong!"


	5. Behind Blue Eyes

_A/n thank you for your patience in waiting for this update. I have to confess to being seriously blocked. My thanks to KatKnits00 for helping me to break out of the writers block. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything from CSI NY, only my own characters _

_**Behind Blue Eyes**_

_No one knows what it's like  
To feel these feelings  
Like I do  
And I blame you _

_No one bites back as hard  
On their anger  
None of my pain and woe  
Can show through _

_The Who_

Mac crossed his office and grabbed Stella by the arm. He pulled her gently out of the room and shut the door.

"Hey… that smarts. What's going on with you two?" She said angrily reaching for his office door again.

"Stella… something really bad has happened. I need you to get Hawkes and get out to Danny's house right now!" The look of pain, and was it actual fear in Mac's eyes, stopped the angry remark that was going to cross her lips.

"Jesus Mac, what happened?" She repeated, trying to ignore the cold chill that was making its way from the base of her spine to her head. She shivered involuntarily, and a terrible premonition entered her inner vision.

"Lindsay's been taken. A man some how got into the house and kidnapped her. A neighbor witnessed the whole thing, but she didn't get a good look at the man." He said very quickly as Stella's face first went white, and then red with fury.

"I'm on it!" She turned and barreled of down the hallway in search of Hawks and Flack.

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Danny watched his bosses talk outside the door as he tried to figure out what to do. His first instincts had been to run out the door and scour the streets of New York, till he found Lindsay. He knew that would have been a huge waste of time, he didn't even know where to start.

Then he realized that he had to take card of Louie. He looked down at his son, who'd stopped crying and seemed to be sleeping peacefully in his arms. He had to clamp down on the awful rage in his heart, for Louie's sake.

A terrible guilt began to form in his heart as he watched his son sleep, his tiny hands clasped together in front of him as if in prayer for his lost mother. Danny's heart ripped in two at the sight and the unbidden comparison to supplication. He hadn't wanted this child so soon in their marriage. He had wanted her to himself for a couple of years, to get to know her and spend time doing all the things they liked to do. Then the news of the baby came and he'd done his best to ignore those feelings.

He should have tried harder to be a good Dad. He let Lindsay do all the work. He'd been raised that way; children were the responsibility of the mother. When he offered to get up with Louie that morning, he hadn't meant it. He knew Lindsay would go in his place and he liked it that way. Now she was gone and it was his fault. He was being punished for his selfishness. His son's mother was out there somewhere, maybe badly hurt because of his selfishness.

Tears began to fall in rivers. He wanted to stop crying, but he couldn't, the horrible pain in his heart was too much to bear.

A gentle hand touched his arm and he looked up to see Mac standing there. When had he come back in the office, Danny hadn't heard the door open or close.

"We'll find her Danny. I swear to you on Claire's name, we will find her!"

Danny swallowed back the tears he hadn't cried since the day he married Lindsay. "It's my fault Mac." He said miserably and hopelessly. He looked down at Louie and wished for the escape of easy sleep.

"This isn't your fault Danny; get it out of your head right now." Mac sat next to him on the couch, and looked down at his surrogate grandson with a tiny smile.

"I didn't want to have a child Mac, not so soon. I didn't learn how to take care of him, I let her do it. I only wanted to hold him if he was happy or sleeping. As soon as he would cry, I would hand him off to Lindsay. What kind of father does that?"

"The kind of father who isn't prepared for the challenges that comes with the entrance of another life into his care. He tried to look Danny in the eye, but the younger man avoided his gaze.

"Danny look at me!" Mac demanded in a tone Danny knew better then to ignore.

"You need to put away your guilt and take care of your son."

"I can't, I need to find Lindsay. What am I doing sitting here like this?" He rose from his perch and went to the car seat on the floor. He lay the sleeping infant on the carrier and rounded on Mac.

"Lindsay is out there and here I sit on my fucking ass doing nothin'." He started for the door and Mac grabbed his arm, hard.

"I'll give you two very good reason's why you aren't walking out that door. I've got Stella and Hawkes processing your house. I'm crossing the line just by authorizing that, I'm not going to snap it in two by allowing you in that house before they are done. Secondly… you can't just walk away from your son, you said you would take care of him and you're going to do so. I want you to get to work on the murder in the park from this morning. Louie can stay with you." Mac knew he shouldn't let the baby in the lab, but he couldn't bear to tell Danny the kid had to go; besides the baby wasn't a two year old that could toddle around and get into things.

"Mac I -"

"That wasn't a request, it was an order Detective. Get to work!" Mac turned his back on the young man and picked up the file on the edge of his desk. He waited till he heard Danny leave, and then he dropped into the chair behind his desk and put his face in his hands.

The door opened again and he looked up ready to get after Danny. It wasn't the detective, it was Peyton. The words on her lips died away when she saw the look on his face. She shut the door and crossed to his desk. He stood to meet her and despite the glass walls of the office, drew her into his arms and held on as if his life depended on her being there to hold onto him.

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Hawkes opened the door to Danny's house, and Stella followed him into the kitchen. The mid afternoon sun shone into the room, painting the walls in a golden glow that was at the same time cheery and heartbreaking.

Stella shined her flashlight around the room and sighed. The kitchen was spotless; there was no sign of a struggle in here. "Hawkes take the door and see if we can figure out how the guy got in here. I'll take a look at the rest of the house."

"Okay." He took a minute to touch her hand. "We're going to find her Stel, I promise."

"I know… she still owes me thirty bucks. I'm not going to let that go." She said with a horrible smile.

When she entered the baby's room, her heart broke. How could the man just leave an innocent baby there with no one to look after it? Thank God for the nosy next door neighbor. Flack was over there getting elimination prints for her and her husband. The women had brass; Stella had to give her that. She had run over here as soon as the man drove away from the house. She had no way of knowing if the man had been alone, but she had still come in the house to make sure the baby was okay.

"Just goes to prove there's still good in people." She said quietly to herself. It helped to talk out loud. It kept her from breaking down.

"Come on kiddo give me something to work with." She went over the whole room and the closet of the baby's room with a fine tooth comb. Her flashlight swept the carpet and she found on the floor of the closet, a bit of the same trace, or what looked like the same trace as her dead body in the park. She took a sample, trying hard not to get her hopes up. It looked like dirt and it could be from anywhere.

She moved into the bedroom, and shoved down the feeling of voyeurism that welled up inside her. Danny would hate it that they had been there, even though he knew it was necessary. The room was in order. He must have taken her by surprise or he drugged her. Maybe he told her he would hurt Louie if she didn't cooperate.

Stella rubbed her hands over her forehead trying to stave off the murderous headache that was starting behind her eyes.

"Stel!" The voice of Flack came from behind her and she jumped.

"Hey… you okay?" He asked when she turned. Her eyes were large and pain filled. Her face was white and drawn, and for the first time since Frankie had tried to kill her he saw her cry.

He did the only thing he could think of, he took two long strides to her side and pulled her into his arms. She froze for a minute and then she relaxed. He was so upset by the sight of the normally tough as nails detective breaking down in front of him, that he didn't blush at the contact with the warm female body in his arms. She smelled like vanilla and holding her was wonderful, or it would have been wonderful if his brain hadn't told him to stay on track and stop thinking with his…

"Flack, you're breaking my ribs." Stella's voice was back to its usual no nonsense tone. He let her go backed off as fast as he could. This was just great, he was letting his body rule his brain in the house of his best friend, whose wife was another good friend and in the hands of a crazy. What was wrong with him?

"Hey Flack… you okay?" Stella didn't appear to have been affected by what just occurred.

"Ah yeah… I just wanted to tell you that I have the elimination prints."

"Great, but I have a feeling that the only prints we are going to get are Danny, Lindsay's and the neighbors prints."

Flack decided that his face was probably not as red as a cherry anymore, and he risked looking at her directly. She was looking at him like he was an interesting new bug.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, other then the fact that Lindsay is gone and Danny is probably going out of his mind." He watched her finish going over the room.

"This is hopeless, there's nothing here that shouldn't be here," she said after a very long time.

"Come on… lets go find Hawkes, maybe he has some better news for us." Flack said. He tried to smile for her but somehow the corners of his mouth refused to turn up. They left the room and closed the door. It was time to move on.


	6. Mama and Papa

_A/n hey guys, I apologize for the delay in posting and that this update is short. I got distracted by Harry Potter, and I have been pretty ill for the last week. Updates will be sporadic until I have, and recover from surgery next month. I ask you to be patient until all of the RL stuff is at a more manageable level._

_Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this posting, no financial compensation is received for this work. _

**Mama and Papa**

Lindsay woke again, her headache down to a dull roar this time. Her stomach seemed to be under control and her limbs cooperated when she sat up. She looked around the room she was in, and tried to remember just what had happened. Then it all came rushing back. The phone calls, the man in her bedroom, the way he'd made her leave Louie behind.

Danny was going to be so upset with her that she had left their son alone. She begged God or whoever ran the universe to be kind and watch over her son, till Danny was there to take care of him. She prayed that her husband would understand that she'd had no choice; she'd had to leave their precious baby behind.

She shook her head impatiently. She had to stop thinking about Danny and Louie. She had to concentrate on getting out of that room. She took another close look at the room, moving around it as she did. There was the skinny, one person cot against the wall at one end of the room. The block and cement was painted white, and the concrete floor was gray. There were no rugs and no chair. There was nothing that she could use as a possible weapon.

She noticed two doors, one to the right of her and one directly ahead of her. The wooden door was painted white like the walls, and would have blended in if it hadn't been for the stainless steel door knobs. After several minutes of hard debate, she decided to check the one in front of her first. She swallowed hard against the urge not to investigate, reminding herself that she was a CSI damn it, and she had to maintain a professional demeanor and…

She backed away and fell on the cot. This wasn't a case! She wouldn't be collecting evidence and processing a body. This was her life, and the life of her child, and Danny… Oh God… what was she doing? Here she was in the hands of someone that wanted to use her to hurt Danny, and she was trying to convince herself to be a scientist. To hell with science, she wanted out of here and now.

She stood up and strode over to the door and wrenched it open. It was only a small bathroom, as clean and barren as the rest of her prison. There was a white porcelain toilet and a stainless steel sink. The small mirrored medicine cabinet showed a young woman who was wild eyed and red faced. She saw the tears fall down her cheeks before she felt them, and something snapped inside of her.

She turned and ran out the door slamming it behind her. She was at the other door and pounding on it before she even felt the hard wood under her fists.

"Let me out of here!" She screamed over and over, till her voice was hoarse, and she could only whisper. She didn't realize falling to her knees and sobbing, even though the concrete was hard and icy cold, and unforgiving under her knees.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny shoved his glasses up on his head in frustration. He'd been at it for three hours and nothing was turning up on the clothes they had taken from Jimmy Dobson. There were no foreign fibers. The print Stella pulled from the work boot matched the victim.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and yawned. It was only five pm but he was beat. He looked over at the carrier that sat on the table next to him. Louie seemed to feel his father's gaze. He began to cry. Danny pulled off his gloves and picked up his son.

"Hey little buddy, what's all this noise?" He'd only been alone with his son a few hours, but somewhere in his heart he felt himself warming up a bit. He loved his son, but playing an active role in his care was still scary.

"Come on little man, you don't want to disturb the whole lab. Mac won't let you come back here if you do."

Louie continued to cry heartily. His face was going red and Danny was beginning to panic a little. He looked around and realized there was no one to help him. What if Louie was hungry? That was going to be a huge problem; he hardly had the equipment to take care of that. He rocked the baby as he'd seen Lindsay do, but it didn't work.

He picked up the diaper bag to see if there was something in there he could use, and all he found was an empty bottle. He knew that Lindsay had pumped out some breast milk, but it didn't appear that Mrs. Houdersheldt had thought to look in the refrigerator.

He left the lab with the screaming baby in his arms, ignoring the looks he was getting from detectives and lab personnel. Entering the break room, he paced the floor with the baby for what seemed like an eternity, but Louie still cried. He was beginning to truly be afraid of his own child. What if the baby knew somehow that Danny didn't know how to take care of him? What if he hated his papa for that?

He shook himself as he walked around the room dodging the table and the couch. Those were crazy ideas! A small baby didn't know how a parent felt about it, did it?

Maybe the baby wanted Lindsay? Yeah that was it, and he couldn't do anything to help with that. This was terrible, what was he going to do?

"Hey Danny, what's goin' on. Are you stickin' the kid with pins or something?" Donald Flack's voice came from behind him. He was so startled; he nearly dropped Louie on the floor.

"Jesus Christ Flack, are you trying to give me a coronary?" He demanded of the detective that stood smiling at him.

"Don't you think you should watch your language around the kid Messer?"

"Very funny, get the hell outta here, I'm busy and don't have time for games!" He roared and Louie screamed.

"Okay, you need to calm down!" Flack informed him, trying not to laugh at his best friend's distress.

"Calm down, are you insane? My kid hates me, my wife is in the clutches of who knows what bad guy, and my case is goin' nowhere. Don't tell me to calm down!" He shouted, as he frantically rocked Louie.

"Danny, I'm gonna help you out, but if you ever tell anyone I did this, your ass is mine!" He coaxed Danny into letting him take the baby.

It took a few minutes of murmuring and rocking, but Louie quit crying. Danny stood staring at Flack with a mixture of disbelief, anger and relief.

"How the hell did you do that?" He asked sinking into the sofa and clutching at his aching head. He was so relived at the silence that he spoke barely above a whisper. He wasn't going to encourage another tantrum from his son.

"I've got younger brothers and sisters, remember? I also have a multitude of nieces and nephews. You pick up a few things."

Danny lifted his head and faced the smirking detective. He would never live this down, not as long as either of them was alive.

"He's quiet now, but I suggest you get him out of here before Mac goes ballistic over your destruction of the peace and quiet of his lab."

"I don't believe it, but I ain't gonna complain. Thanks Flack." He stood to take the baby from Flack and fought back laughter when Stella breezed into the room and gaped at his best friend.

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Hawkes finished taking apart the lock from Danny's back door. There had been no overt signs of forced entry which puzzled the former ME. When he talked to Danny after processing the scene, his friend had been positive that both the front and the back door had been locked when he left the house that morning. The doors were always locked at night and Danny had said that when he left after breakfast, he locked the front door behind him.

It didn't explain what Hawkes found and so he decided to go tear it apart and look at it under a micro scope if he needed to go that far.

"Well, well… what do we have here?" He muttered to himself with a frown on his normally calm face.

As it had turned out, there were tool marks on the lock. It wasn't like anything he'd ever seen before, at least not since his days of training.

He doubled and triple checked what he had seen on the pins in the lock and there was no other conclusion that he could draw.

He left the guts on the examination table and slipped off his gloves. He left the lab and went to find Mac; this new information could change everything.

_A/n I don't know if Flack has brothers and sisters or nieces or nephews, but for my world in this story he does _


	7. The Riddle

_A/n the last few days has been pain free, so the muse has been talking to me again about this story. Thanks to all for your patience while RL has interfered. _

_And Hey Dad  
Here's a riddle for yah  
Find the Answer  
There's a reason for the world  
You and I..._

**_The Riddle_**

**_Five for Fighting_**

Stella stood in the small break room gaping at Flack, who was holding Louie Messer in his arms and looking utterly serene. He looked at her, and she almost laughed when his face went red as newly ripe cherries. He gave the baby back to Danny and opened his mouth to speak. She cut him off by saying, "Ah wait right there, I'm going to get my camera."

"That's very cute," Flack said miserably, fiddling with his watch and looking at the floor.

"Oh come on Don… you looked very domestic." She teased with a large grin.

"Yeah well it this gets around…"

"…you'll never live it down. I know," Stella interrupted moving to put an arm around him. "Don't worry I won't say a thing, and I think Danny will keep his mouth shut too."

Danny just waved at him weakly, not listening. He was just glad his son was sleeping again.

"Did you come in here for a reason, or are you going keep teasing me till he wakes up again." Flack asked nodding in the direction of the baby.

"Actually I do have news. The trace I found in your house Danny matches the trace we took from the victim in the park. Its brick dust. "

Danny stood slowly and crossed the room to Louie's carrier. He put the baby down as carefully as he could and turned to face Stella.

"So its brick dust, how does that help us?" He said testily. He pushed his glasses up his nose and sighed, his head pounding.

Well it's too much of a coincidence that the same trace was found on both crime scenes. I did a check and there are a lot of construction sites that are laying brick, but you have to think that Lindsay is still in the city. There's no reason to think otherwise. I checked with the bricklayers unions at the sites. There is a construction site in Queens where two men didn't show up for work. Neither called in sick..."

A light went on in Danny's eyes. He interrupted her, "Our victim, Jimmy Dobson was one of the men that didn't show up right?"

"Yep, apparently he was involved in a fight with the foreman a week ago, and would have lost his job, but the union stepped in as he'd never caused trouble before." She finished still smiling widely.

"What was the fight about?"

"I don't know, but when I tried to find the foreman, he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth as well." Stella commented, she stood next to the baby's carrier and was softly stroking the little Louie's arm.

"Well… let go find the guy. Come on Flack… you're the detective, we gotta find him." Danny was halfway out the door when Flack said, "Danny where are you going?"

"Oh I don't know… maybe to do my job and find my wife," he said very sarcastically, turning to confront his friend, his hands fisted at his sides.

"Um… why don't you let Stella and I handle that while you look after your baby." Flack said with raised eyebrows. He gestured to the baby, and nearly laughed at the look of chagrin on the CSI's face.

Danny moved toward the baby at the same time a young officer poked his head in the door and informed him that Mrs. Houdersheldt was with him and insisted on talking to Danny.

She pushed past the younger man and engulfed Danny in a rib breaking hug. "It occurred to me that you might need this." She held up a paper bag and Danny tried to pretend he understood what she met.

"We'll leave you to your guest." Flack said, leaving with Stella. Danny winced at the sound of their laughter fading down the hall.

"Thanks Mrs. Houdersheldt, but what is this?" He pointed to the bag and she smiled broadly at him.

"Well you can't very well take care of that little cutie with out something for him to eat, so I found this in your refrigerator." She opened the bag and removed several bottle of breast milk that Lindsay had pumped out.

As if on cue Louie began to cry. Once again he was unable to quiet his son till his neighbor took pity on him and showed him how to heat the bottle in the microwave and feed the baby. He was amazed that his son actually ate from the bottle. Mrs. Houdersheldt explained that babies that were breast fed often go on hunger strikes rather then eat from a bottle. Fortunately his son seemed to inherit his father's love of food no matter the form it took.

"He's eating!" Danny said with delighted surprise as he sat down on the couch. More importantly the baby was quiet, except for the noise he made sucking hungrily at the nipple of the bottle.

"Of course he is," Mrs. Houdersheldt said, not at all surprised with this development. She even laughed when Danny looked at her in horror when she told him the next step was to burp the baby and then check to see if he needed a diaper change.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheldon tried to make it from the lab to Mac's office without running. He didn't want to give into the panic that was making his heart race, but he couldn't help it.

He walked as fast as he could down the hallway, completely ignoring some of the lab techs he ran into along the way including Sherry, an assistant pathologist he had his eye one. He didn't see her puzzled look when she said hello to him and he ignored her.

Finally he got to Mac's office. He knocked once of the door and entered without waiting for his boss to say "come in."

Mac looked up in surprise to see the normally calm CSI's rush into his office and slap down a file folder on his desk.

"I have the results on the lock I brought back from Danny's house."

Mac picked up the folder and opened. His eyebrows went up when he read the contents. "Is this right?"

"I checked it three times to be sure. There's no doubt, whoever took Lindsay used a lock release gun to gain entrance to their house." Sheldon said his dark eyes clouded with fear.

"Great, that's just wonderful. We've got a kidnapper with access to a tool that only law enforcement uses." Mac said pinching the bridge of his nose. "Damn it!"

He looked at the younger CSI and said in his sternest tone. "I don't want this getting out. I'm going to leave IAB out of this for as long as I can. I hope we can get her back before we all get taken off this case.

"So you agree that the kidnapper is a cop or federal agent?" Hawkes said his tone bleak. He sat wearily down on the couch in front of Mac's desk and watched his boss carefully.

"We can't assume that, he may have connections to law enforcement, a lock release gun could have been stolen, and there is any number of reasons. Hawkes, we can't tell Danny about this, he is already in a tail spin over this. I won't upset him further by the revelation that one of our own could be behind this."

"But shouldn't he know it seems…" He hunted for the right word. "It's cruel!"

"No… it would be worse if he knew. Anyway we don't know for sure." Mac insisted he had the look that Sheldon always referred to himself as the "ex-marine" look, the one that allowed no nonsense in the lab.

"What do you want me to tell him if he asks?" Hawkes asked, curious as to what Mac would come up with for an excuse.

"He won't ask he's too busy with Louie." Mac answered sitting ramrod straight in his chair.

Hawkes grinned in spite of the situation. "I bow to your superior talents, Mac." He said and watched a tiny smile cross the older man's face.

"Well I figured that I had to keep him distracted, or he would be out there running around trying to find Lindsay and possibly getting himself hurt or killed. You know how he is Sheldon."

"Yeah, I know. I don't blame him." He added simply and watched the smile leave his boss's face.

"Neither do I…" Hawkes saw the brief debate in Mac's eyes to say more then the hardness returned to his gaze.

"Come on, let's get to work. We need to find out where that lock release gun came from."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsay bolted to her feet when a key rasped loudly in the lock. She looked around frantically for something, anything to use as a weapon. Her eyes fell on the sharp edge of a crumbling block from the wall that lay on the floor. Who ever had readied this place for her had been careless. She snatched it up and shoved it in the pocket of her jeans just before the door opened. Her hands were still bond in front of her so she would wait her chance.

The door swung open, and despite her fear she made herself look at the man in front of her. He was tall and beefy with black hair and dark glittering eyes. Those eyes weren't quite sane and she took an involuntary step back.

The man held a gun on her and he gestured with it towards the door. "Get going!" He ordered reaching out with his free had to yank her to him.

"It's time to make sure that your husband finds us."

"But…" She was pushed hard out the door.

"Shut up and walk." He walked behind her and she could feel the gun in the small of her back. She didn't dare try to fish out the possible weapon she had found.

He shoved her again into the room next to the one she had been in. He picked up a disposable cell phone and dialed a number.

"We're going to call your husband and if you want to see your baby again, you'll do exactly as I say." He kept the gun on her. She looked around, and saw they were in a very small room with a computer on a metal desk and one chair in front of it.

"Detective Messer? Who I am isn't important. What is important is that I have your lovely little wife right here with me and if you don't do as I say, she'll come back to you in pieces. **Don't threaten me, I make the threats, I tell you what to do! **

He pulled Lindsay closer and told her to talk to her husband. "No tricks you got it!" He whispered in her ear, his breath stank of garlic and alcohol.

She said breathlessly into the phone. "D-danny!"

_**A/n lock release guns are used by lock smiths but at one time were only used by law enforcement. I've changed it to fit the story. **_


	8. Savin' Me

_A/n hello all. Here is the next chapter in the story._

_Disclaimer: No money is made from this story. No copyright infringement is intended. _

_Prison gates won't open up for me  
On these hands and knees I'm crawlin'  
Oh, I reach for you  
Well I'm terrified of these four walls  
These iron bars can't hold my soul in  
All I need is you  
Come please I'm callin'_

_And oh I scream for you  
Hurry I'm fallin'_

_**Savin' Me**_

_**Nickleback**_

"NYPD!" Flack shouted as he entered the apartment in Queens.

Two other officers and Stella followed him into the astringently neat two bedroom apartment. He held his gun in front of him as he cleared the kitchen. He heard Stella and the other men call out the apartment was clear. Their quarry was already gone.

He found nothing out of place. The place had an un-lived feel to it and it was obvious that the inhabitants had been gone for sometime.

"You find anything Flack." Stella asked as she strode into the kitchen.

"Nope, no spoiled food, no garbage, just a kitchen that looks like an ad for House and Garden," he leaned against the counter and frowned.

"Yeah, I imagine that dusting the place will be a waste of time. This place looks like it's been wiped clean."

"I won't take that bet." Flack agreed. He pushed away from the counter and stepped past Stella. He caught a bit of the smell of lilac that seemed to hang around her. It was soothing. He clenched his hands into fists to keep them from reaching out to touch her dark curls.

_How does she keep her hair looking like that all the time? _

He gulped and smiled at her. "I don't think we'll find anything here, but I know we have to look anyway."

"Yeah… ok… I'll get started." She left the kitchen and her scent floated away with her. He slapped his own fore head and ordered himself to focus.

_You are looking for your best friends wife, remember lover boy?_

_Right… focus on Lindsay! That will work… won't it? _

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Mac's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the caller ID.

"Did you find anything for me?" He asked without bothering to greet the person on the other end of the line.

"You did… okay just a minute. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. "Okay… I'm ready. Alright, thanks I owe you one. No… I believe this makes us even! Thanks. Okay I will, and tell her I said hello. Okay. Bye."

Hawkes was glued to his microscope, but his ears had been on the conversation. He looked up at Mac with an expectant expression on his face.

"We have a location on the phone used to call Lindsay." Mac said, punching in a number on his phone.

Sheldon listened to Mac speak to Flack and give him a location of the phone. He saw the surprise in Mac's face and then the grim look that entered his eyes. It looked like their good news had turned bad.

Mac slapped the phone shut irritably and looked at Sheldon. "The address where the phone was is the same one that Flack and Stella are at right now. Apparently the foreman from their case is in this up to his eyeballs."

"The good news is that a lock release guns leaves unique tool marks. I think we can find out how the kidnapper got his hands on one." Sheldon took the lock and photographed it then scanned the enhanced view of the tool marks into the computer.

"It's going to take awhile." He said with a little frustration showing through. He was more tired then he'd felt in a long time.

"Unfortunately that wasn't the only news that Flack had." Mac said, running a hand through his hair. "They went through the man's freezer and found what looks like the missing hand of Jimmy Dobson. The son of a bitch was keeping it as a souvenir or something." He grimaced and once again wondered why people do the things they do to each other. It was sick.

"That's pretty gruesome. We gotta find this guy Mac."

"Yeah, we do."

The computer beeped and Sheldon turned to check the readings. "Ok now we're getting somewhere. The gun was used by the third precinct in a number of raids. It was supposed to be destroyed because after awhile they lose their effectiveness. It was sent out to be destroyed in April of last year. The officer in charge of the destruction of that lot of release guns was Terry Lee. He was fired from NYPD a month after the gun was supposed to be destroyed. He was also selling guns and drugs that were supposed to be destroyed. He's doing a long stretch in Rikers."

"Let's go talk to him and find out if the lock release gun was destroyed or if he sold it." Mac waited while Sheldon pulled the serial number from the computer files. They headed out the door and Hawkes prayed this was the break they needed to get things moving on the case.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Danny and Mrs. Houdersheldt got Louie back to sleep after feeding him and a very awkward diaper change. It was strange. He didn't think he'd enjoy taking care of Louie this much, but he did. His son was very sweet, and it helped keep him from going mad over Lindsay's disappearance. Still when he put the baby in his carrier, his heart hurt badly to see the boy's dark curls that were so like his mothers. He fought back the tears that wanted to fall, now was not the time. He had to be strong for his baby and for his baby's mother.

"Now see that wasn't so hard, was it dear?" Mrs. Houdersheldt was saying. Her eyes were on the baby as well, and she didn't see Danny swallow hard against the tears in his eyes and throat.

"Yeah… it was kinda fun." He admitted his voice rougher then he wanted it to be.

"You don't have to hide from me. She's a wonderful person and she loves this little man so much, like she loves you dear boy." Mrs. Houdersheldt said, trying to catch his eye. She held out her arms to him.

He wanted to hold on to her like he would his own mother but he refused. "I can't," he held up a hand to her. "I hafta stay strong, if I breakdown, I can't help her and Louie needs his ma." He looked down at the sleeping baby, and a small smile came to his face.

"I can take him for you. If you want me too, I would love to have a baby in the house again, and he is so adorable." She beamed at Louie, and Danny almost laughed through the tears that insisted on trying to escape his eyes.

"Look, I appreciate that but…" He broke off when his phone began to ring. He pulled it off his belt and answered it.

"Messer!"

"_Detective Messer?"_

"Who is this?"

"_Who I am isn't important. What is important is that I have your lovely little wife right here with me and if you don't do as I say, she'll come back to you in pieces." _

"**You fuckin' bastard if ya hurt her I'll rip ya in half with my bare hands. Do ya understand me." **Danny shouted and Louie began to cry again.

"_**Don't threaten me, I make the threats, I tell you what to do!" **_

Danny heard a muffled protest and he was about to yell into the phone when he heard the voice say to someone else, _"No tricks you got it!" _

Then another voice was there, a quavering and breathless voice but he recognized it at once. Lindsay!

"_D-danny," _she breathed and it was like some rock that had been sitting on his chest finally rose and let him breathe again.

'Baby… you okay?" The tears wouldn't be held back, they fell onto his face in a flood. Dimly he heard Louie crying and Mrs. Houdersheldt trying to quiet him.

"_I'm sorry Danny."_

"Why baby, why are you sorry?" He backed away from the table and sank onto the couch.

"_I left him alone. He made me leave Louie alone."_

"Its okay baby, he's here with me. He's okay Montana. Tell me where you are." He heard a scuffle and Lindsay cry out as the phone was taken from her. The man's voice returned and told him that he had one hour to get to an address in Queens if he wanted Lindsay to live. He was to come alone and Lindsay would be freed.

He hung up the phone with trembling hands. This man seemed to want him, and he was going to have to trade himself for Lindsay. He looked up at Mrs. Houdersheldt and at Louie. He had to get his son's mother back, but could he trade himself for her, Louie needed him too. He knew the man wanted to kill him for some imagined or real wrong Danny had done him. Could he leave his boy without a father? Could he live without his Montana?

He made his decision. He stood up and regarded the woman in front of him. She would take care of his son. She would be good to him.

"I have to go after Lindsay Mrs. Houdersheldt. I need you to look after Louie."

"Of course dear boy, I would love too. You're going to call for backup right." She said and he almost laughed at her use of that term. She must watch all the cop shows on TV.

He leaned down and kissed Louie who was awake, but not crying. He turned away and went out the door of the break room, refusing to look back at his boy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man led Lindsay back to the white room and shoved her in. She heard the key turn in the lock. The man had gloated that Danny would be there soon. He had told her that love made you stupid and willing to do anything for the one you loved. She knew that he would kill both of them, there was no way out for them unless she made it happen herself.

She looked around her trying to find something other then the piece of brick in her pants pocket. Then she remembered something that could help. She kicked herself for not thinking of it before now. She awkwardly fished the brick from her jeans and went to the bathroom door. She opened it and entered. She looked into the mirror over the sink, and made herself ignore the streaks of tears on her cheeks and the hopeless look in her own eyes.

This was going to be difficult they way her hands were cuffed, but she was going to do it if it killed her. She pulled both hands back and threw the brick at the mirror. It missed and banged off the steel frame of mirror. She cursed loudly and fresh tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away impatiently. She crouched down and found the brick on the floor.

She threw it again and again it missed. She tried another three times before the brick found its mark and the glass shattered. A large piece fell into the sink and she picked it up. This was the next hard part. She worked the glass around in her hands and maneuvered it to cut into the flex cuffs. The sawing motion cut slowly into the cuffs. Her fingers bled when the glass slipped and cut her. The warm red blood made the glass slippery, but she kept on in spite of the pain and the increased difficulty. She gasped and moaned but refused to scream. She didn't know if he could hear her or see her. She tried to work fast and after a very long time the cuffs came apart. She let the cuffs fall to the floor. There was a lot of blood on the floor, her hands and her clothes. She turned on the cold water, and hissed as it washed away the blood from her hands and the glass.

She took off her jacket when the bleeding looked like it had stopped. She dried her stinging hands on it and the glass; it had to be dry for what she was planning. She went into the room and sat down on the cot. She couldn't stop looking at the cuts on her hands. The bleeding was stopped, and she hoped the wounds looked worse then they were. She hoped the pain wouldn't stop her from what she had to do. She waited for a long time and then the key rattled in the lock. She ran quietly to the other side of the door. She hid behind it and when the man came in and stopped dead looking for her, she struck hard.


	9. Tonight, Tonight, Tonight

_A/n thanks to all who continue to support this story. _

_Disclaimer: No monetary gain is made from this story. No copyright infringement is intended._

_Please get me out of here  
Someone get me out of here  
Just help me I'll do anything, anything  
If you'll just help get me out of here  
_

_**Tonight, Tonight, Tonight**_

_**Genesis**_

Danny was so deep in thought when he hurried out of the break room that he neglected to watch where he was walking. He rounded a corner and walked into Mac. The older man was almost knocked over.

"Jesus Danny… you want to watch where you're walking!"

"Oh… ah sorry Mac, I'm kinda in a hurry. I'll catch ya later."

He tried to go around his boss, but was blocked by Sheldon, who was looking at him with a little amusement in his dark eyes.

"Hey Messer, aren't you forgetting something?"

"No… I have a lead on my case that I need to check out," he responded, trying not to sound evasive.

Mac crossed his arms and stared down the young CSI. "Danny where is Louie?"

"He's right here, the sweet little guy," A loud female voice said from behind Danny. "Oh Mr. Taylor, I'm so glad this young man found you, he can't just go running off on his own to rescue Mrs. Messer. He needs your help." Mrs. Houdersheldt informed Mac helpfully.

Danny went crimson and glared at her out of the corner of his eye. He should have been more care in leaving the building.

"Don't worry Mrs. Houdersheldt; he won't be going anywhere alone." Mac told her with a smile for her, and a look of "you are in big trouble" for Danny as he spoke to her.

"Oh that's wonderful. I'm going to look after this little guy for him and since it is getting late, I'll need to get home."

"Of course," Mac snagged a passing cop and handed her and Louie over to him to take home.

"Thank you Mrs. Houdersheldt." Danny said miserably looking at his watch. He had to get out of there, and after Lindsay, without Mac. He figured his chances of pulling that off were dismal at best. In fact, he decided he had a better chance of becoming President of the United States in the next election.

"Detective Messer, do you enjoy doing end runs around me and pissing me off, or are you just stupid?" Mac snapped at him, his eyes taking on the look he usually reserved for suspects in the interrogation room.

"Mac I have to do this alone!"

"Why?" Mac's eye narrowed and he raked them over the young man in front of him. "What's happened Danny?"

"He called me Mac; he let me talk to Lindsay…" His voice cracked and he bit back savagely on the tears that threatened.

"Is she okay?"

"She is for now, but he wants me to trade for Lindsay. I have to go Mac, Louie needs his mother!"

Mac heaved a huge sigh and said, "Don't you think he needs his father too?"

"That's fucking low Mac!"

"Don't take that tone with me. I'm not going to lose two valuable CSIs or two friends. Tell me where you're going and we'll get her back together. You are not going alone!" Mac laid down the law in typical fashion, and Danny knew there was nothing for it but to let his boss help him.

"Alright… but we need to go I got forty minutes to get to the address he gave me."

They three of them took off for the elevator and Mac told Danny what they had found out about Jimmy Dobbs. It looked like the trip to Rikers was unnecessary.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the key sounded in the lock of the door to the white room, Lindsay ran to position herself behind it. It opened and the man stepped in. Her breathing had sped up at the moment she had decided to act, and she was trying to keep it quiet so he wouldn't hear her. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat, choking her. She had to do this and get back Danny and Louie. She wasn't going to let Danny sacrifice himself for her.

The man had stopped and seemed to be looking around for her. She stepped around the door and struck out with the glass, ripping it across the hand that held the gun. He screamed and dropped the weapon. It slid across the floor and out of sight.

"You bitch," He screamed lunging at her with his hands, crimson blood flying all over the concrete floor. She jumped back and turned for the gun. He grabbed her shoulder and yanked her around. He was incredibly strong and his dark eyes were wild and insane.

"No!" She screamed. "I won't let you hurt him." She struggled to free herself, and his fist connected with her face. Pain exploded just below her right eye. It was like a bomb blast had gone off in her head. She was slipping into blackness, little grey stars blooming across her vision. She fought to stay conscious. The pain was worse then anything she'd ever felt, and a small part of her wanted to succumb and go away for awhile.

"Get off me!" she gasped as his hands went around her throat, his gun forgotten. She tried to push him off but he was too big. The brick wall and his hands held her up off the floor.

"If I can't have him then, I'll kill you and maybe then I'll go after your baby." He grunted, tightening his grip around her neck.

She lashed out with the glass again and suddenly his weight and hands were gone. She dropped to the floor and almost fell on top of him. He fell to his knees, the glass protruding from his belly. He dropped over to one side and hit the concrete with a thud, the wound in his belly bleeding heavily. She scrambled back from him and looked around for the gun. It was under the cot. She crawled over to grab it. She whirled back around to face the man. She couldn't tell if he were dead or just badly hurt. She wanted him to be dead, and felt a savage triumph in her chest at the thought.

She got shakily to her feet and walked to him with the gun in her trembling right hand. Her hands were covered with blood, and she didn't know if the wounds from the glass had broken open or if it was his blood. She tried to ignore the pain and the coppery scent of so much blood. She inched closer to him and he didn't move. She kicked his leg and he sat up suddenly his hands reaching out to her. She screamed and shot him in the chest. This time he went down and stayed down.

She dropped the gun and fell to her knees in a heap next to the man. For along time the only thing she could do was sob. She'd never killed anyone before and even though she'd had no choice she was sickened. She turned to one side and lost what was left in her stomach from that morning. The smell mixed with the blood was horrible. She got to her feet stumbling and shaking widely. She had to get out of there. She dropped the gun and went to the door. Standing on the threshold she couldn't make her feet move forward. What if the man wasn't dead, what if he came after her? She turned back and looked at the man, he was still in the same position she left him. Turning her back on him a second time was the hardest thing she had ever done.

Thoughts of Louie and Danny made her feet move, and she went left out of the door. The hallway was the same white block as the room. She ran stumbling down it to the door in front of her. The grey painted door opened on some stairs. The concrete stairs ascended and she ran up to the door at the top of them. The door was unlocked and she opened it carefully, trying to stop the panic that was driving her to run. What if there were bobby traps? What if he wasn't alone in this, what if there were others? She stuck her head out the door and saw an ordinary looking kitchen. Good… at least she was in a home.

She looked around for a phone and saw one on the counter. She threw herself into the room and crossed to the phone, her hands shaking hard when she picked it up off the cradle. She nearly shouted in relief when she heard the dial tone. Her trembling and blood stained fingers dialed 911. A voice came over the line and she smiled, then pain bloomed out from behind the mask of adrenaline and she fell to the floor in a dead faint.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stella and Flack were just getting out of their SUV at the lab when Danny, Hawkes and Mac came out the front doors.

"Hey where's my godson?" Stella asked Danny good-naturedly.

"Not now Stella!" He shot back. Stella scowled at him and then looked at Mac; he shook his head at her.

"Danny got a call from the kidnapper; he want's him to turn himself over for Lindsay."

Stella heart and hands went cold; it was obvious what the man wanted from Danny. She seen to many kidnappings go wrong. She wasn't going to let her friends be victims.

"Well let's go get her back!"

They returned to the vehicle and climbed back in. Danny, Mac and Hawkes took a second vehicle and soon they were speeding away into the night.


	10. Someone saved my life tonight!

_A/n thanks again to all who've supported this story. One more chapter after this!_

_Disclaimer: I own only my own original characters and nothing else._

_**And someone saved my life tonight sugar bear  
You almost had your hooks in me didn't you dear  
You nearly had me roped and tied  
Someone saved my life tonight, someone saved my life tonight**_

**Someone saved my life tonight**

**Elton John**

The black SUV sped through the night towards an address in Queens. It turned out that Lindsay had been five minutes away from Stella and Flack, and Flack was kicking himself for leaving her there.

"Just how were you supposed to know she was in the neighborhood Flack? Are you psychic now?" Mac asked eying the detective in the rearview mirror.

"Well no but…"

"Then stop kicking yourself over it. This whole thing was meticulously planned and executed."

Flack looked out the window and jumped when Stella's hand took his. Her touch was warm and her hands were soft as silk sheets.

_Whoa… where did that thought come from?_

He looked over at her and found her green eyes staring at him with a strange look, then it was gone and he wondered if he imagined it. She was smiling at him and even though they had never spoken about taking their relationship to the next level, he didn't pull his hand away till the truck pulled up in front of the home in a quiet neighborhood.

There was one black and white that pulled up to the curb the same time that they arrived. They piled out of the vehicle and Mac hurried over to the surprised officers.

They told him they were responding to a 911 call from the home and the explained that when the operator had answered, no one spoke on the line. Mac explained as quickly as he could what had happened, glaring at Danny who wanted to burst in through the front door.

"I don't think its bobby trapped. This guy wants Detective Messer alive. I don't like the sound of the 911 call so we better get in there now."

"Mac, I have to go alone, he'll kill her." Danny argued his face a pasty white under the street lamps.

"Something happened in there that makes me think he isn't in control of the situation anymore. We go in together."

The responding cops took the door down with Flack, and once inside they fanned out and began to clear the home. Flack entered the kitchen and when his flashlight hit Lindsay, he stopped dead. For a long minute she was Stella the way he and Mac had found her after she had killed Frankie. Then Danny came into the kitchen and saw her.

"Oh God… Flack why didn't you say she was in here. What's the matter with you?" He dropped to his knees by her side and began to try and wake her.

Stella entered the kitchen, and Mac and the officers went through the basement door and down the stairs.

"My God Danny what happened?" She knelt beside the younger woman who was covered in blood and not moving. She was breathing and then with a jerk her eyes opened and she tried to get up.

"Let me go… I won't let you hurt him!" She cried struggling against Danny.

"Shh… Montana it's me, it's Danny. Come on baby! It's okay. Everything is okay." He continued to speak to her.

Stella pulled out her phone and called for the EMTs. Flack could only watch as Danny tried to calm Lindsay.

"Montana! Listen to me! It's Danny. I'm okay baby." Tears were falling out of his eyes and splattering on her blood covered shirt.

"Danny." She whispered. A very shaky hand, covered in blood, went to his face.

"Yeah baby it's me. You're safe now."

"Louie… where's Louie." Her voice was so scratchy Flack could barely hear her. How long had she shouted for help and no one heard her. He abruptly felt sick. His stomach began to heave and he pushed past a startled Stella. He bumped into another officer that had responded to the office down call. He shouldered his way outside and ran around the corner of the house. Then he did something he hadn't done since his days as a rookie. He vomited into the bushes.

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Danny sat next to Lindsay in the exam room at the ER. He had a running argument with any medical personnel that would listen, that his Montana should stay in the hospital for at least twenty four hours. The doctor disagreed. He said that apart from a bump on the head and some bruises, and the cuts on her fingers, she was okay.

"I don't know why they won't listen ta me." He groused. Lindsay grinned at him and patted his hand as if he were a small child.

"You heard what they said. I'm okay. I want to go home and see my baby." She demanded.

"You were unconscious when we found ya…" He began to argue. His hands had her blood on them, but he refused to leave her long enough to clean up.

"The doctor said it was the stress of the situation that made me faint." He watched her carefully. She didn't look at him, and instead seemed interested in the bandages on her hands.

"All I need is to see my baby again and have you close by."

"Hey… since when do I take second billing to the kid?" He joked. There, the smile she gave him finally touched her eyes. Then she smacked his shoulder, and then she hissed in pain having forgotten about her hands. The smile went out of her eyes again.

"It's gonna be okay. He's dead and he can't ever hurt us again."

She threw her arms around him and began to cry. He held on tight and began to rub her back in small circles.

"Shh… Montana… everything is gonna be okay." He repeated helplessly.

"What if it isn't? What if he isn't really dead?" She asked him with terror filled eyes.

"I wish he were alive, I want ta kill him with my bare hands!" He said vehemently. She flinched away from his angry eyes.

"I'm sorry baby… I didn't mean ta scare you." He hands were rubbing her back again and he kissed her cheek, and then her lips.

"Danny's right you know, he's dead and he's going to stay that way." Mac's voice came from the doorway. He walked into the room and took Lindsay's free hand.

"I didn't mean to listen, but I wanted to tell you what we found out."

Lindsay nodded fear entering her heart. "Then can I please go home, we've been here for three hours already."

Mac smiled genuinely and gently squeezed her hand. "Okay. The man that kidnapped you was the foreman on the same job as Jimmy Dobson. His name is Andrew Davidson. His father was Matthew Davidson." He said this to Danny as though it should ring a bell with him.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" He asked his boss.

"I thought you might remember. He drove a gypsy cab, and was the man that assaulted you and your dad when you took a ride from him."

Danny's face went white the crimson. "What the hell does he have to do with this?"

"He was killed in prison six months after the assault. He left a son your age, a sister and his wife. A year after his father died, his mother and sister were killed in a home invasion. He wasn't home at the time, he been sent away to a summer camp. The perps were never caught."

"So you're tellin' me that he blames me for all of that and he wanted to kill me." Danny said incredulously. He'd been ten at the time of the assault and so had the kid. What made a kid that age so revengeful?

"I suspect that he wanted to take everything you had first." Mac said.

"I don't get why he didn't take Louie. I'm glad he didn't, but he could have had us all." Lindsay asked her hand beginning to tremble in Danny's. He didn't squeeze it but he gave her a reassuring smile."

"I don't know. I do know that killing Jimmy Dobbs was a way to provide us with clues to find you. He wanted Danny there and when that didn't happen fast enough, he called him and the rest is history. I'm proud of you Lindsay. You handled yourself very well."

Lindsay gaped at him in surprise. "But I killed a man I…"

"You did what you had to do. I don't think IAB will have any trouble ruling it self-defense. Also Terry Lee is facing new charges. He sold the lock release gun to Andrew Davidson, so the DA is going to make a case for conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping charges. He'll never see daylight again."

"Thanks Mac, for everything." Danny said significantly. Mac only nodded and put a hand on Lindsay's shoulder.

"Do what the doctor says okay? Danny… I don't want to see you back to work for the rest of the week, is that clear?"

"Okay I'm not gonna argue with you. I'm not taking my eyes off Montana for at least the rest of my life."

"Great… how am I supposed to get anything done?"

"I don't know Montana that's your problem." Danny razzed her. It was over!

The doctor and a nurse came into the room and Lindsay was given the okay to go home. They signed paper work and headed out with pain pill prescriptions and orders for her to rest.

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Don fumbled the key to his apartment into the lock and twisted it open. He entered and slammed the door. His head was pounding and all he wanted was a shower and then a beer or four. It didn't matter if it made his headache worse in the morning. He had to get the image of Stella beaten and battered out of his head.

He drug off his suit coat and let it fall to the floor. His shoes came next into an untidy pile by the barstool. Then his socks came off. His tie went sailing to land on the lamp by his desk. He yanked off his shirt not bothering to unbutton it. It ripped in his hands but he didn't care. He was in the hallway to the bathroom when his wife beater hit the floor. He opened the door to the bathroom and missed the wild look in his eyes as he passed the mirror over the spotless white porcelain sink. He pulled off his pants and dropped them and his boxers to the floor.

He stepped into the shower and yanked the curtain closed. He turned on the water and yelped at the cold temperature. He stuck his head under the pounding ice cold water and waited for the temperature to change. It finally went from ice to scalding but he didn't care. He didn't feel the tears that began to fall.

Steam began to fill the room and all he could hear was the water falling on the floor of the tub. He didn't hear the door to the bathroom open or the curtain open slightly to admit the second person behind him. In spite of that, he didn't flinch when two arms wrapped around him and lips kissed his shoulder. He'd had this dream before.

She was his fantasy women, so real he could touch her, kiss her, and make love to her. He never really saw her face, only those incredible green eyes. He felt her tongue lick across his back and down his spine to the small of his back. His cock jerked to life and he grabbed it with one hand. The hands running up and down his arms stopped. One hand moved to still his hand.

"No Don… I want you inside me." It was her voice, but he still didn't believe it was her. His eyes stayed tight shut while her mouth continued it's ministrations to his back. He jumped when her tongue found his ass. It slid from one side to other making circles on each taut cheek. This was new and his eyes popped open. He turned around so suddenly he almost knocked Stella over.

"You're real?" He demanded. She nodded and he grabbed her, crashing a kiss down on her lips. His arms enfolded her, and he groaned when her hands replaced her tongue on his ass. He backed her to the wall and stepped back. The water beaded off her long rangy body, beading up on her breasts. The nipples were hard and erect. He groaned again, this time in frustration. Which breast would he bite first? He decided on the left and attacked it with his mouth, licking, biting and sucking. Stella was moaning, her head thrown back, her eyes closing to slits.

"Don… oh God…"

He got to work on her right breast and her hands fisted into his wet hair. He continued down licking his way down her belly to her center. When his mouth found her sensitive nub, she screamed.

"Please Don… I need you inside of me. I want to come with you inside of me."

He stood up and said. "What the lady wants, the lady gets."

He was aching and ready to explode. He wanted to feel her around him. He lifted her and her long legs wrapped around his waist. She cried out again when he entered her and began to move slowly inside her. His mouth latched onto a breast again, and then he found her mouth. The first thrusts were slow and deep, but soon he couldn't hold back and he picked up the pace till it was frantic. Stella bucked against him keeping a perfect rhythm with his thrusts. She peaked screaming his name with her orgasm. He followed her, spending himself completely inside the hot tightness of her, crying out her name. He stood for a moment on shaking legs. He stayed buried deep with in her.

She kissed him weakly, and when he let her down to the floor of tub, she stumbled against him, her legs jelly.

"Hello…" she said, with a wicked smile. "You really should learn to lock your door Detective Flack. Anyone could just walk in at anytime."

"Ah-I'm sure that when the blood is circulating to my head again that will make sense." She grinned and sighed to herself, the pain and desperate unhappiness that had been in his eyes was gone. Don Flack was back, sarcastic smile and all.


	11. Love me tender

_A/n thanks again to all who have reviewed and followed this story. Here is the last chapter._

_Disclaimer: No profit is made from this posting. No copyright infringement is intended._

_**Love me tender, love me dear, tell me you are mine.  
I'll be yours through all the years till the end of time.  
Love me tender, love me true, all my dreams fulfill.  
For, my darlin', I love you and I always will.**_

_**Love me tender**_

_**Elvis Presley**_

Danny pulled his shoes off and dropped them on the floor next to the bed. His shirt came next, he tossed it at the hamper and it fell just short of its goal. He was too tired to get up and put it away properly. He took his belt off and unbuttoned the top button of his jeans. Lying back on the cool comforter, his head on one pillow was like a tiny bit of heaven.

He watched the sun turn the sky to pink and then gold. Lindsay had finished feeding Louie, and now she was in the shower. She had refused to let him help her with the baby. He didn't blame her. She didn't believe he could handle taking care of Louie, and it hurt his heart to admit that she was true. He'd never tried before the kidnapping. Now that was over, would he slip back into his old ways of letting her do everything?

The door opened to the bedroom interrupting his thoughts. Lindsay was wrapped in a large fluffy white towel, her hair damp and curly, with wispy tendrils lying on her cheeks. Her eyes held shadows that hadn't been there before, not even when she was dealing with the killer of her friends. Would anything be the same again?

She sat down on the unoccupied side of the bed, half turned to him. Her eyes stayed on the flower pattern of the comforter. Her bandaged hands twisted anxiously, and her face pristine on one side, and black and blue on the other, was as sad as he had ever seen.

"Lindsay, I…"

She faced him and he saw the tears rolling slowly down both sides of her face. He sat up and pulled her to him. She cried for so long and so hard that he thought she might be sick.

"Montana, everything is going to be okay. Shh… baby, don't cry!" He whispered to her words of comfort and love. She finally quit shaking and the tears stopped. He let go of her and searched her tear ravaged face. She wouldn't look at him, so he tilted her head up to find her deep brown eyes.

"Lindsay, talk to me. Tell me what I can do to help!"

Her face worked and she seemed about to cry again, then her shoulders slumped and she fell against him, burrowing into his chest.

"I'm scared." She whispered into his chest.

"He's dead Lindsay, he can't hurt us anymore."

Her head whipped up and he saw the terror and the guilt he somehow missed before. "I know he's dead, but what if someone else tries to hurt us. It's my fault." She pushed away from him and leaped off the bed. He watched her retreat to a corner of the room and stand there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"This is not your fault. It's mine." He said simply and watched her eyes snap open wide.

"Why did you say that? You couldn't have known he would come after you." She pointed out, taking two steps away from the corner.

"I should've had Mac check the phone records sooner. Instead I waved off the calls you got as a crank. I should've been a real man and protected you."

"Danny Messer… stop talking like that, you couldn't have known."

She came back to the bed and climbed onto it. He stood and backed away from her retreating as she had done.

"I never wanted to be a father. I wanted to have you all to myself, and when Louie came it was easier to let you take care of him. I'm being punished for not wanting him. I love you Lindsay. God punished me for wanting my old life back. I love Louie so much and I…"

Lindsay jumped off the bed and approached Danny at fast clip. She grabbed his face in both hands and spoke in a harsh, choppy voice.

"You listen to me Messer, this wasn't your fault. I know you love your son. You would do anything for him. God isn't punishing you for wishing for your old life with me."

She released his face and went back to the bad and sat down. She looked at her hands for a very long time and them she found his eyes again. "It's my fault. I didn't want Louie to mess things up for us . I've thought everyday since he was born, that I couldn't be a mother, that I didn't know how. There are days when I don't want to try. I just want it to be the two of us. Then I look at him and he reminds me so much of you, that I can't imagine life without him. God punished me because of my thoughts; he nearly took both of you away."

Danny strode to her side and pulled her into his arms. "You are not responsible. The same thing you said to me goes for you too. We love our baby and neither of us is at fault."

"I love you Danny."

She kissed him slow a deep, releasing his mouth only when oxygen depravation became a real issue for them both.

"Montana…"

"Shh… make love to me Danny. I need you. Please!"

The new morning began as the old one had. This time it was slow, and sweet, and gentle. He moved over her like the gentle lapping of the outgoing tide. They rocked together, up and down, back and forth. He teased her gently with the peak, but never pushing her over until she begged for release and he could no longer hold off his own end. He wiped away the tears that leaked from the corner of her eyes, and she kissed him one last time before he pulled out of her and turned on his back, pulling her with him. Her arms tightened around him and her head came to rest on his chest.

Louie began to cry several minutes later and Danny refused to let her get up. "I'll take care of him Montana. Stay where you are and get some rest."

She watched him crawl out of bed, and cover his fantastic body with an old terry cloth robe. He left the room and she lay on her back still humming from their lovemaking. She could hear him murmuring to Louie and after a long while it was quiet. She sat up, letting the sheets fall to her waist as she listened hard. It really was very quiet.

She got up the pulled on her robe. When she padded into the nursery, she had to stop and cover her mouth to keep from laughing. Danny was sitting in her rocking chair with Louie, singing under his breath. He looked up at her and demanded in a hurt tone. "What's so funny Montana?"

"You… sitting there all domestic, I can't believe it."

He stood up and approached her. "Fine if you want to take over for me, just say so." He began to hand Louie over to her.

"No that's alright Messer, you're doing fine." She continued to giggle. He laid the now sleeping baby back in his crib and faced Lindsay.

"I'm sorry baby; I guess I didn't believe you could do it. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"That's okay Montana. Look… I know that things can't ever be the way they were, an I know that you're gonna be scared for awhile, but I'm always gonna be here. Okay?" He kissed her forehead.

"Okay… If you promise to put up with me, I'll promise to put up with you."

He took her arm and walked her back to their bedroom. "I thought we already promised that to each other?"

"When?"

"The day you said I do, and made me the happiest man alive."

She threw off her robe and got back into the bed. "Oh yeah… I forgot!"

He tossed his robe to the floor and jumped in next to her. "You forgot…" He reached over and began to tickle her senseless.

"I'll show you missy."

He gasped when he found himself on his back instead of pinning her down like he'd hoped.

"Ah Lindsay, don't you think you should take it easy, with your hands and all." He asked, hoping she wouldn't hurt him, at least not too badly.

"What's a little pain between husband and wife? This time I get to be on top. Oh… and one more thing, why were you singing that song to Louie."

"What's wrong with the Beach Boys?" He asked turning pink in the cheeks.

"It's not the group, it's the song. "I get around" is hardly appropriate for a two month old." He tried to protest, but she cut him off and got to work "reprimanding" him for his lapse in judgment. He didn't care, things weren't perfect, but they were a family for better and worse and that was all he wanted.

**THE END**


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